Corned Beef is one of my favorite meals and I get to cook it only once or twice a year – once on St. Patrick’s Day [March 17th for those not in the know] for dinner and again when either the mood strikes me or I have special guests. Well, the other day we had special guests in and not only did I make this special dinner, we actually sat at the Dining Room table!

This is a reprint from our very first recipe posted in 2007 by Buff (aka Thomas Tilert). All of the other contributers including Buff have moved on to other ventures but we still value their recipes. No photo with this, but split pea soup is one of my absolute favorites, and if my mom has ham bones, I stick it in a zippered bag and freeze it to take it home with me. An interesting note – when we were kids, my dad used to open cans of pea soup for us to have – before he started making his own. The only way he could get us to eat it was to add hotdogs to the split pea soup which was our own version of a Split Pea Soup With Ham. This is Buff’s recipe:

Ingredients

1/2 TBSP olive oil

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

24 cups of broth; try to use low sodium because the ham and the broth combined may make the soup too salty

1 ham bone with sufficient ham left to extract into the soup [about a cup or more]

1 14 ounce bag of split peas

1 14 ounce bag of dried peas [use two bags of split peas if these are unavailable]

pepper to taste

[optional] cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit

Method

1. Put the oil, carrots, garlic, onions and celery in a large soup pot; cover and over medium heat, “sweat the onions” – about 5 minutes or so.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer until pea soup is thick as fog.

Serve with hardy bread.

This recipe is easily halved, but I like to make a lot so that I can freeze or can the remainder so that I have it on hand.

I am not the Vinegar King, but I am friends with the Vinegar Queen. I do love vinegar, though. All kinds of different vinegars. I used to be a straight white vinegar kind of guy, but then I got hooked on balsamic, red-wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar for changes of pace.

Lately, I’ve been on a rice wine vinegar kick – specifically Nakano Original Rice Wine Vinegar. I love the sweet and sour taste of it on my salads and cucumbers. It’s flavorful enough that you can just use it and olive oil with a dash of salt and pepper.

I have used it with Good Seasons Italian Dressing and it’s really tasty.

OK…I can’t believe I haven’t posted this one yet. This is my favorite snack/appetizer. It’s spicy, but good spicy. Serve it up and watch it go. The preparation time is a matter of minutes and it’s a whole lot better than any store bought version. Last year, I showed my friend’s teenaged son how to make it and he makes it all the time.

Potatoes are very versatile – it’s no wonder they’re the staple starch in most of our diets. Almost all spices can be used with them, because they pick up the flavor of the spice so easily. I’ve done this little recipe with many different spices – to include basil and cilantro. Here’s the one for basil…just replace the spice and you should be good to go.

Now that the summer is upon us and you can get nice fresh watermelon, here’s a simple salad that’s sure to be a hit with the adults at your memorial day party. I served it a couple of nights ago at a dinner party and it sure was a big hit. You know how you can tell something’s good? No-one’s talking.

Ingredients:

1 small seedless watermelon

3 bananas

a bunch of seedless green grapes

TBLSP of lime juice

1/2 cum of rum

Method:

Cut 1/3 of the watermelon off the top.

Take out all of the watermelon using a spoon or a melon ball device if you like to create a watermelon bowl. Put the fruit from the watermelon in a tupperware bowl.

Slice up the bananas [make sure you peel them first]

Cut the grapes into quarters.

Mix about half of the watermelon with the grapes and the bananas

Add the lime juice and mix well

Add the rum and mix well.

Put the mixture back in the watermelon bowl and put the watermelon top back on.

Place it standing up in the refrigerator and chill for a few hours before serving.

Some hints: It doesn’t matter what other fruits you use. Go ahead and experiment. If you’re going to a party with children in attendance, you may want to make two one N/A. Make sure you mark the outside of the watermelon to be sure the kids don’t eat the good fruit.

Oh my goodness. The.best.spices.evah! My good friend, Kate, recommended Penzey’s to me a few years ago and I have sung their praises ever since. I’ve shopped on line with them for the longest time and recently I had the opportunity to visit one of their stores. I was like a kid in a candy store. I had to buy one of each.

My suggestion would be to buy a bottle of each spice, then when you need to refill, buy in a bag. The bottles are really nice and sturdy.

My highest recommendations are for the following spices:

Ground Red Chipotle – I use it for all Mex/Tex-Mex recipes

Cayenne Pepper – I put cayenne on everything. Well maybe not fruit, but…

Granulated Garlic Powder – when you need powder instead of minced

Oregano (Turkish) – for all Italian and Greek recipes. I use it in my Matrix sauce and sprinkle it on pizza

Basil (California Sweet) – the tomato’s best friend. Matrix and pizza as well

Oriental Mustard (Powder, Canada Hot) – I mix up a paste with equal part water/mustard powder and a dash of soy sauce for take-out egg rolls. Even the HMIL would love it.

Cinnamon – go to the site. Buy some. It doesn’t matter what type. you will love how the smell jumps out of the jar!

Special Blends:

Bangkok Blend – spicy and sweet all at once. I use it on steak as a replacement for Montreal seasoning

Lemon Pepper – great for grilling Buffalo wings – it’s how I prepare my wings [which I do every week in football season].

Florida Seasoned Pepper – in place of lemon pepper. It’s got the citrus without the salt.

As you all know I am a true blue carnivore, but every once in while the mood strikes me to not eat meat at every single meal. Like today. Sure, I had some chorizo in the freezer that I could have used, but went for something decidedly different – vegetarian chili. Now had I entered this recipe in a Texas chili cook-off I’d be disqualified for two reasons – no meat and it has beans. I dedicate this meal to our fellow blogger Robin.

Ingredients

1 pound red beans

4 28 ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes

1 pound mushrooms – chopped

1 Vidalia onion – chopped

1 large green pepper – chopped

1 jalapeno – finely chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 TBLSP ground chipotle

4-5 stalks of fresh cilantro

1-2 TBLSP of salt – depending on your own taste. If you want to reduce the amount of salt, use vegetable broth instead of water. Or add vegetable bouillon.

Water

Method

Put the beans in a large pot and cover with water. Over low heat, simmer beans for about an hour, make sure the pot is covered.

Add the rest of the ingredients and 2 cans full of water

Bring to a boil, stir occasionally.

Lower heat to bring it to a simmer

Cook until the broth is thick, stir often.

I like to serve this with a nice hearty bread and an ice cold beer or a glass of wine! Taking some tips from the book, He Said Beer, She Said Wine, I would recommend a double IPA such as Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA and a South African Pinotage Rose.

If you’re like me…[don’t you hate when commercials begin with "if you’re like me"? NO. I am not like you at all. I am nothing like you.] Anyway, I love a baked potato with a nice thick juicy steak. And since we’re having the in-laws in for dinner tonight, we’re serving juicy porterhouses. Here’s a tried and true recipe.

Ingredients:

4 Russet Potatoes [Do Not Use Any Other]

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Pierce potatoes with a fork on each side – about 8-10 for each side

Lightly coat potatoes with oil

Lightly salt potato

Bake for one hour. Skin should be crispy in and inside should be tender.

Serve with sour cream and chives or salt and pepper and butter or any other of your favorite backed potato topping.